Crying Won't Make It Better
by briarbaggins
Summary: Eren Jaeger has just lost his mother, and when he finds out she was murdered,he vows revenge. Told from Armin's point of view. Real-Life (Modern?) AU featuring Eremin and other ships. Vaguely mirrors the show.


Hey, there! Briar here. I'm new to This site sure has strict guidelines, wowza. Eh, I guess that's a good thing, it means less general rudeness and fuckery, heheh. But yea, this is my first fanfiction, and I'm hoping it'll be well-liked. I like it anyway. So here goes!

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Armin Arlert is tired. Going to college with a part time job is enough to kill anyone, but he has something even worse on his plate.

His best friend, Eren Yaeger.

Eren who Armin has harbored confused, fluttering feelings for since childhood. Eren who always stood up for him and helped him when times were tough. Eren who's mother was missing.

Armin sighs, sinking into the chair in his and Eren's living room. They had been so proud of themselves a few months prior when they had found this apartment, and found that they were able to pay for it. Armin stretched, looking up at the clock. It was noon. He should probably try to coax Eren out of bed.

_'It's so uncharacteristic of him,'_ Armin thought. _'To lay around, depressed.'_

At first, of course, Eren had been determined to find his mother. He and Armin had searched the city for hours, talked to the police ten times a day, and did anything else they could to try to find her. She was just... nowhere. After a few weeks, Eren lost it. Became depressed and quiet. The past few days, it had been an adventure to even get him out of bed.

Armin sighed again and stood, making his way into the kitchen. Sunlight streamed through the window above the sink. Pretty, yellow sunshine. Armin smiled. Maybe he would take Eren out and try to help him get his mind off of it. As he started to make a pot of coffee, his phone rang. He took it out, not even looking at the caller id. He knew who it was.

"How is he?" Mikasa asked the second he put the phone to his ear.

"Still sleeping. I was just about to wake him," Armin replied, staring idly at the coffee pot as the coffee started to drip.

"...They found something."

Armin's interest peaked. "They found her? Is she alright? Eren'll be overjoyed! I can't wait to tell-"

"Armin." she interuppted sharply. There was a long pause. "She's dead."

There was a choking, badly muffled sob on the other end, and then the phone click as Mikasa hung up. _'Mikasa... Crying?' _he thought with horror. Then he realized. This was the second pair of parents she had lost. Her birth parents had been brutally murdered, Eren's father had disappeared mysteriously months ago, and now this.

Armin had to brace himself against the counter. Eren's mother couldn't be dead. Just... she couldn't! She had been so nice. Pretty and kindly, but firm. He remembered the time he had crashed his bike into the tree outside Eren's house. He had gotten scraped up so bad, and Eren's mom had patched him up, wiped his tears away, and kissed him on the forehead, all while lecturing him about how crying wouldn't make it better. Armin choked back a little sob of his own. She had been the closest thing he'd had to a mother for a long time.

But Eren! Poor Eren. He would lose his mind. Maybe even hurt himself!

Armin stood, breathing deeply and wiping his tears away. The words rang in his head in that sweet motherly voice,_ Crying won't make it better. _He had to be strong and support his best friend. After all it was his mother who had died, not Armin's.

Biting his lip to stop his jerky, post-crying gasps, Armin yanked the coffee pot out and poured a cup, adding copius amounts of sugar, just like he knew Eren liked. Then, he wiped his face again, and entered Eren's room with a quiet knock.

Eren stirred, but didn't get up. Armin knew he was awake, but he walked quietly over to the bed, setting down the steaming cup and shaking Eren gently.

"Eren? Eren, come on, get up, I brought coffee. Come on, Eren, you can't lay in bed all-" His speech was interuppted as Eren's phone rang on his bedside table. Eren sat up like lightening and grabbed the phone, hitting the button, and pressing it to his ear. "Hello?"

Armin could only hear the muffled garble on the end and Eren's side of the conversation, but that was enough to make his heart drop to his toes.

"Yes, this is him. My mom? What? You found her?! Is she o-... She's- She's what?" There is a long pause as he listens to the man on the other end. "No.. No there must be some mistake. Wait!" Eren looked down at the phone as the police officer hangs up up on him. His mouth is slightly open and his breathing is irregular. His pupils are dilated and dull as the phone slips from his fingers. He opens his mouth and screams in pained confusion, clenching his eyes shut as he covers his face with his hands.

Armin watches, eyes wide as Eren throws off his covers and jumps out of bed. He's yelling, tears streaming down his face and his fists clenched. "I'll kill them, I'll kill them, I'll kill every last one of them!" His fist connects with the wall, putting a hole in it. Then he does it again and all of a sudden he's hitting and kicking everything he comes in contact with, until Armin jumps up and shoves him into the wall. "Eren, stop!"

Eren struggles for a moment, and Armin really can't hold him back, but after a moment he stills, panting. Armin looks up at him, and the pain in his green eyes hurts to look at. Armin pulls him down and hugs him, stroking his short brown hair comfortingly. Eren shudders, crying silently into Armin's shoulder.

"I'll kill them," he mutters breathlessly, choking a bit on the word 'kill'. "T-they ate her, Armin, they ate her. How could a person eat another person?!" he cries.

Armin doesn't know. The idea is terrifying. What's more terrifying is how dead set Eren is on killing whoever 'they' are.

"I will kill them, Armin," he mutters one more time. What's in his voice... It's passionate and fierce and determined. So much so that Armin has to say, "We will, Eren. I promise."

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So yea... I'm not real sure how good it is? I was going for a real-life AU that sorta-kinda mirrors the show? I don't even know sigh. I guess the biggest difference is they aren'tas young as they are in the show. Most of the other characters will be worked in somehow, and I'll be shipping all over the map.

Please, please review and tell me if you think I've written them too out of character or if you notice any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors I've made, or you could always just reveiw to tell me you like it, that'd be neat too!

Bye!


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